Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Divorce

Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Divorce Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems Print Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Divorce By Marni Feuerman Marni Feuerman is a psychotherapist in private practice who has been helping couples with marital issues for more than 27 years. Learn about our editorial policy Marni Feuerman Updated on February 21, 2020 Glow Images, Inc/Getty Images More in Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems LGBTQ Violence and Abuse So, you have gotten to a point in your marriage where you are seriously considering divorce. This decision has potentially serious negative consequences for you, your spouse, and those you are close to within your life. It is a choice that must be thought through deliberately and carefully. What Has Gotten You to the Point Where Divorce Is the Option? This is complicated and it will be difficult for you to be objective. Have you  grown apart and become disconnected? Have your conflicts been handled poorly? Are you avoidant and unwilling to communicate? Some people say that their feelings are gone. This is a sad and painful place to be. If you are having an affair, then you will not have a clear idea about your feelings towards your spouse. It is completely unrealistic to compare your spouse with your new lover. Feelings were once there or there never would have been a second date, much less a marriage. To get your feelings back, you must be willing to put behavior before feelings. Acting as if you have loving feelings may have a very surprising and positive impact on your interactions with your spouse. If you are not willing to look at your own contributions to the state of your marriage, you will most certainly carry some of your problems into your next relationship. It is imperative for you to think about what you need to change. Why not practice that with your spouse? Solid Ways to Strengthen a Marriage and Avoid Divorce What Have You Done to Try to Fix the Problems? If you have never been to marriage counseling together, then what would be the downside to trying? Alternatively, maybe you did try, but it was not your best effort. Perhaps the therapist you chose was not a good fit for one or both of you. Or, as is sometimes the case, one or both of you were not completely honest about everything. At this crisis point in your marriage, seek out a highly qualified marriage therapist.??  Now is also not the time to be cheap about it. This is too important a decision. Chances are you both have been poor problem solvers regarding your marital issues and need professional help. Go into counseling with an agenda for change in yourself, not what you want to change in your partner, to have a much better chance of success. What Will the Impact Be on Your Children? If you have children that are still at home, you must think through how this will affect their lives. This will be something that will change them in significant ways regardless of how smooth you believe the divorce process will be for you and your spouse. Contrary to what you might be telling yourself unless there is a significant amount of conflicts  such as loud and frequent fighting or abuse, your kids just want a home with you both in it. Research shows that kids do better emotionally with you together, even if you are unhappy, rather than divorced.?? Having two households is not fun for them and it may actually not be for you. You may even come to regret your divorce, as many people do. Will you be okay with your spouses new romantic partner being around your kids? You will not be able to control this. Blended families pose lots of complications. The divorce rate is worse for subsequent marriages.?? Since the odds are not in your favor, why not try to make your current situation better? What Were the Best Times in Your Relationship? When have you felt the most connection with your spouse? What was happening when you felt the most joy and happiness? Think about what attracted you to your partner. What traits did you fall in love with (even if they may be making your crazy now)? Only focus at this moment on the positives. Are you able to imagine getting back to that place? If you can imagine it, chances are you can get there with the right process. Do not stay in the bubble of indecisiveness for too long. It may seem comfortable, but you really just have three choices: (1) remain the same and continue along as-is, (2) move toward separation and divorce, (3) try an all-out effort to reconcile. Ambivalence, or “sitting on the fence,” can be worked through and is best done with the right professional.?? In fact, a process called discernment counseling  has proven to be highly effective at helping couples on the brink of divorce work through their decision rather than stay indefinitely in a place of indecisiveness and unhappiness. There are also a few books for those more interested in self-help: ?Divorce Busting  by Michele Weiner-DavisDivorce Remedy  by Michele Weiner-DavisShould I Try to Work It Out?: A Guidebook for Individuals and Couples at the Crossroads of Divorce  by Alan Hawkins, Tamara Fackrell,  and  Steven Harris Even if you are both on different pages right now, it is time to face this difficult situation. At the very least, your vows obligate you to work on a troubled marriage before giving up.